Arab News Japan

TOKYO: North Korea says the proposed sale of 36 American Apache attack helicopters to South Korea and sales of other military hardware to US allies in the region “poses a serious danger to the regional security environment.”

The Director of the Foreign Press Office of North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement Thursday, saying US arms sales “increased military tension” in the region.

“We strongly oppose the armed reinforcement measures of the United States and its allied forces, which pose a serious danger to regional security,” the statement said. “Such reinforcement will affect the military and political situation in the region.”

The North says the current military exercises between the United States and South Korea are increasing military tensions and the sale of offensive weapons to South Korea “is a challenge to deliberately increase security instability in the region.”

The North said the United States sold “various advanced murder equipment” to South Korea, including 25 F35 stealth fighters, 36 SM6 anti-aircraft interceptor missiles and 42 AIM9X sidewinder air-to-air missiles. It added that Australia, Japan and Taiwan are all benefiting from supplies of US military equipment.

“The provision of US murder weapons is a key factor in intensifying military confrontation and contradictions in the region, destroying the military balance, and promoting and expanding the risk of new conflict,” it said. As a result, the North says, it is compelled to “guarantee military balance in the region by fully strengthening our defense power in proportion to the challenges and threats to security that the US arms sales activities may bring.”

“The more the United States is obsessed with providing war equipment and murder equipment to its allies in the region, the more our strategic deterrent power to protect national security interests and regional peace will be increased.”